A recent Mark Penn/Noticias SIN poll focuses on the current political situation in the country, the possible presidential candidates, the intention of the vote and the Odebrecht corruption case. The 2-6 August 2018 Mark Penn/Noticias SIN poll revealed that crime, governmental corruption, and unemployment are the three main problems for Dominicans. 39% of those polled say crime is their main concern. 19% say it is governmental corruption. And 14% say it is the lack of jobs. And 11%, the cost of living.
Mark Penn reports that those polled were critical about politicians, with the popularity of all local politicians dropping when compared to October 2017.
Compared to October 2017, in the August 2018 poll, Dominicans are showing more concern about governmental corruption.
Likewise, there was an overall increase in the number of persons who said the country was headed in the wrong direction. 71% of those polled said the country is headed in the wrong direction. In 2016, 52% felt the country was headed in the wrong direction.
The negative perception is higher among followers of the PRM, but it also now was felt by those who back the ruling PLD party. Likewise, among the young people, those ages 18-24 years, of which more than half of this population segment that had expressed optimism in the October 2017, now 75% are pessimistic about where the country is headed.
The poll also showed that now 59% of voters are not affiliated to a political party, and regard themselves as independents. In the past period, the number of independents had never surpassed 10%. Among PLD members, there is a reduction in the membership among women. Among those 35 to 40 years, the women mostly regard themselves as independent. Of those identified as PLD members, 54% said the country was headed in the wrong direction, while 43% said it was headed in the right direction.
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Noticias SIN
21 August 2018
